1. Technical Field
The invention relates to the interactive display of viewer information in a computer environment. More particularly, the invention relates to interactive user interfaces combining video and graphics in a computer environment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Multimedia devices such as VCRs, DVD players, MP3 players, cassette players, CD players, video tape editors, and the new class of Personal Video Recorders (PVR) are extremely popular with consumers. Almost every household in the United States has at least one of these devices.
The most common complaint (and joke) is that VCRs, in particular, are difficult to use and understand. This complaint is typical of the majority of multimedia devices.
One of the major areas that ease of use is lacking is in the program material progression indication. VCRs and DVD players commonly display the terms xe2x80x9cFWDxe2x80x9d for fast forward, xe2x80x9cREVxe2x80x9d for reverse, xe2x80x9cPLAYxe2x80x9d for play on the screen, telling the user that what mode he has selected. Other systems display their own set of terms or phrases to the user for each mode.
Additionally, the display of numeric counters are used by many manufacturers to tell the user the progression and position of the tape, CD, DVD, or MP3. For example, a four digit counter is displayed on the TV screen or dedicated display. The user can surmise what direction the media is progressing in by observing whether the counter is incrementing or decrementing.
The problem with these approaches are that multimedia equipment manufacturers do not use a consistent user interface. Terms, phrases, and counters are cryptic at best. Further, terms, phrases, and counters are not intuitive to the majority of the general public.
Menus used to guide users through options delivered by the multimedia devices are also confusing and cryptic. The often maligned VCR is a culprit of the confusing menu interface.
Setup menus are typically the extent of a VCR""s menu interface. The menus are simplistic and text based. Cursor appearance and movement are rudimentary and the user is easily confused by the non-intuitive uses of menu choices.
DVD players have tried to use some of the power that the format offers. The menu systems are created by the DVD media content developer. The developers try to add a Hollywood flair to the menu layouts, but still fail at effectively communicating information to the user. It is often the case that a user will encounter a menu choice that leads nowhere or is unavailable.
It would be advantageous to provide a television viewer interface system that provides an intuitive, visually communicative user interface. It would further be advantageous to provide a system that allows the developers to create a visually pleasing menu system that is efficient, yet offers high resolution graphics.
The invention provides a television viewer interface system. The system provides an intuitive, visually communicative user interface. In addition, the invention provides a system that allows menu creators to produce a visually pleasing menu system that is efficient, yet offers high resolution graphics.
A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a viewer interface that allows the viewer to access different functions of a system. The invention""s construct allows items called video loopsets to be stored on a storage device. A video loopset is a three to four second loop of video created so that the ending and beginning seamlessly merge together to give the effect of a continuous video stream as the system plays the loopset from beginning to end, looping back to the beginning of the loopset each time the end is reached.
The invention displays a single or multiple video loopsets in the background area of the screen on a TV or monitor. Video loopsets are an inexpensive method of displaying high resolution graphics. Any temporal elements (e.g., names, icons, location indicators) are drawn onto the screen over the video loops.
The invention""s viewer interface reacts to user input from an input device such as a remote control. A highlight bar is responsive to the user""s commands and is used to indicate the current menu item that can be selected by the user. Highlight bars are displayed using video loopsets or can be drawn over the video loopsets in the same manner as a temporal item.
Information is presented in a successive disclosure format. The user navigates through menus by moving the highlight bar to the right to obtain more information or to the left to see less information and return to the previous location. The user returns to the point where he came from in the previous menu by moving the highlight bar to the left.
The background colors of each set of menus remains consistent throughout the user""s experience such that the user intuitively knows what menu area he is in through the color cues.
The invention provides xe2x80x9cwhispering arrowsxe2x80x9d on each screen that tell the user that more information is available in that particular direction. These arrows point up, down, left, and right. An arrow indicates that there is more content that the user can access by moving the highlight bar in that direction. If an arrow does not exist, then there is nowhere else to go in that direction.
A list of shows that the user requested the system to record and also programs that the system believes are of interest to the user are displayed. The system""s list is based upon the program preferences that the user has expressed to the system using thumbs up and thumbs down ratings. The user highlights a specific program name and moves the highlight bar to the right to obtain a detailed program information screen.
Among other information accessible by the user is a list of network names where the user highlights a network name with the highlight bar and moves the highlight bar to the right to display a list of program themes for the network. Moving the highlight bar again to the right displays a list of programs associated with a theme. Detailed information about these programs is obtained by once again moving the highlight bar to the right.
A banner is displayed in the upper region of the screen whenever the user changes channels, transitions to live TV, or commands the banner to be displayed. The user can rotate through three different levels of banners, each successively containing more information about the program. The lowest level banner contains minimal information such as channel, station ID, and time.
The second level banner displays, in addition to the information in the minimal banner, information such as program title, duration, program MPAA or TV rating, and thumbs rating. The final level banner adds program text description to the second level banner. The program text description is semi-transparent, allowing the user to watch the progress of the program while reading the text.